Psychotherapist/Trainer

The Center for Victims of Torture is seeking a Psychotherapist/Trainer to work in a new program in Gambela Refugee Camps, serving primarily South Sudanese refugees who have suffered torture and war trauma. The position will oversee psychological interventions, including group and individual therapy with adults and children; provide training and supervision to a team of national staff counselors and local refugee psychosocial counselors; and liaise with other NGOs and local organizations. The position has a one-year renewable agreement. This is an unaccompanied post.

Location: Gambela, Ethiopia

Duration: 1 year employment agreement with the possibility of renewal

Start date: October 1, 2018

Reports to: Clinical Advisor for Mental Health

Post status: Unaccompanied

Organization:

The Center for Victims of Torture works toward a future in which torture ceases to exist and its victims have hope for a new life. We are an international nonprofit dedicated to healing survivors of torture. We provide direct care for those who have been tortured, train partners around the world who can prevent and treat torture, and advocate for an end to torture. We are headquartered in Minnesota with offices in Africa and the Middle East.

Responsibilities:

Psychotherapy Oversight: Oversee and coordinate mental health assessments and individual and group psychotherapy provided by counselors.

Clinical Supervision and Training: Design and carry out training programs for staff counselors – including ongoing training, mentoring and modeling. Provide frequent individual and group clinical supervision, including case discussions, live supervision and self-care components. Continually assess development of counselors and adapt training and coaching to meet their needs. Provide advanced supervision and training in supervision skills to counseling supervisors. Receive clinical supervision from supervisor on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Staff Management: Build and maintain a strong and cohesive team of counselors. Coordinate workflow, resources and priorities and facilitate communication across the team. Hire, coach, mentor and develop staff members.

Community Assessment: Mentor counselors to complete needs assessments, sensitizations and psychoeducation in refugee camps in order to identify target populations and determine appropriate mental health interventions for people who have been tortured and/or traumatized by war.

Program Development: Work as part of the country team to achieve program objectives. Manage day-to-day operations of the clinical program to ensure activities run smoothly. Adjust or develop new program activities in accordance with client population needs. Participate in regular meetings with lead country staff.

Community Collaboration: Coordinate services and provide training to other organizations to better address the needs of identified client populations in the camps.

Reporting: Contribute to the writing, review and submission of regular reports regarding clinical and training activities.

Program/Project Evaluation: Participate in the implementation of program evaluation, in partnership with lead country staff and HQ-based staff

5 years of experience supervising mental health professionals and paraprofessionals.

Experience working in the field of torture treatment.

Experience working in humanitarian settings, including camp-based settings.

Experience working with interpreters.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities)

Understanding of and extensive experience implementing culturally appropriate mental health interventions, including individual, group and community-based approaches for people who have suffered torture and trauma.

Understanding of and experience developing curricula and providing training for mental health counselors on counseling approaches, sensitization on the effects of trauma and war, and designing culturally and contextually appropriate interventions.

Experience training mental health workers with varying levels of experience and training, including psychologists with graduate degrees and paraprofessionals with limited or no prior exposure to mental health work.